Toyota invests $50 mn in US AI research

The world’s largest car manufacturing company, Toyota, has announced an investment of $50 million in joint artificial intelligence research centers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. The research will focus on social benefits such as how to make cars safer and how to enhance people’s quality of life through enhanced mobility and robotics, especially among the elderly. Toyota made the announcement on Friday in California, with its largesse taking place over five years. “We will initially focus on the acceleration of intelligent vehicle-technology, with the immediate goal of helping eliminate traffic casualties,” Toyota’s Kiyotaka Ise, chief officer of the company’s R&D group and senior managing officer. The car company said it wants to use artificial intelligence to develop solutions to complex mobility challenges. “One million people worldwide…